Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee
by AvatarBliss
Summary: With glee club one number down after Quinn leaves, one girl decides to audition and change her life forever, as she finds love, comfort and friendship in New Directions. Set after Season 1 Sectionals. Artie/OC, Puck/Tina, Finn/Rachel. I DO NOT OWN GLEE.
1. Prologue

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains, and pure Glee**

**Prologue**

I remember the day that Quinn Fabray left.

It was a Wednesday, it was cloudy with thin shafts of light shining through. I knew she was leaving because everyone was talking about it, the pregnant girl, gone to find parents for her 'sea-monkey.' The football players were calling her horrendous names behind her back; Noah Puckerman would stare at them darkly and return to his lunch.

Artie was the one who told me the entire story, in Lab. He had been my lab partner since the beginning of the semester, and he probably will be until we graduate. He looked me straight in the eye in that unafraid, truthful way that he does with everyone, and said that Finn Hudson (Quinn's long term boyfriend) wasn't the father of her baby, that _Puck _was. That explained the dark looks. Anyway, Artie said that I couldn't tell anyone, because it was supposed to be a secret. I loved how he trusted me with the information, despite the fact that we only sat next to each other, at our special lowered desk, for two hours a week and would only talk as we worked.

He was solemn and quiet for the rest of the class, and when I asked why he replied,

"Glee is short one number now that Quinn's gone. We can't compete in Regionals."

"Oh."

He had grinned shyly and wheeled himself away.

But the reason that I remember that day wasn't for Artie, it was what he said.

Glee was one man down.

They couldn't compete in Regionals.

It was social suicide, it was a sure-fire ticket to getting a slushie in the face every day, but I could do it. I had wanted to join Glee ever since they performed 'Somebody To Love' in front of the school at Invitationals, but for reasons of my own ignorance I hadn't. I decided then that I had to.

There was one more thing that made my decision.

I saw Quinn leave myself. Rachel Berry was standing on the school steps, her brown hair softly moving with the wind, watching her drive away. She turned, to find Finn Hudson, leaning up against the wall, crying. They hugged, before disappearing into the auditorium. That solidified my decision to join glee club.

And I wondered if I knew what I was getting myself into.


	2. Chapter 1 Daisy

**Hi! I'm AvatarBliss, and thanks for reading! This is basically a story set after the episode Sectionals about how Quinn has left and someone has to fill her place in New Directions. When there are songs (because there WILL be lots) I'll post links to give the best idea of what the songs are and what they sound like, for you guys to refresh your memories before you read the chapter. In any case, I really hope you enjoy this story and please review giving any feedback or opinions that you may have. Please and thank you! xx**

**- - -**

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee**

Chapter One

Daisy

Look, that's Mercedes Jones, walking down the hallway with Tina Cohen-Chang.

Oh, Kurt Hummel is following them! They vanish off into the auditorium, with such ease and eager haste that it seemed like they were never there in the hallway.

I watch, wait.

Yep, there's Artie, probably having stopped off at his locker which is over by the Lab block, like mine. He manoeuvres himself in. And there's Mr. Schue, late as always, his arms filled with sheets of paper. He goes through the door, shuts it behind him. And finally glee club is in session.

I sigh, and step out from where I had been hiding underneath the water fountain, watching the members of the glee club arrive, like I did once every week, trying to convince myself to go in, to audition. But I never did. I shuffle out of the school gates, down the steps to the parking lot, where my old, bold yellow Ford sits. I unlock it, get in. And stop.

My mind travels back to the previous day, when I saw Quinn Fabray leave, her bulging belly too big for her little lilac vest-top, blonde hair up in a ponytail.

I never much cared for Quinn Fabray, but then again I guess I didn't know her. My one and only encounter with her was at the beginning of the semester, when her friend, Brittany, went to throw a slushie in my face but Quinn stopped her, reminding her that Rachel Berry had brown hair, not blonde. They both nodded in apology before promptly throwing the pink slushie into the face of the real Rachel Berry, the glee club 'freak.'

Back in my car, I look out to the sky. It was dark, threatening rain. I shivered, my little body too small for the big polyester car seat.

My mind goes back again, to the Invitational concert where our glee club performed in front of our school as well as a panel of judges. They sang a song by Queen, one of my favourite bands, '_Somebody to Love_,' It had been wonderful, goose-bump-inducing and completely impressive. I had wanted to join glee club since that moment. I do have a good range of musical knowledge, I mean I know a lot of musicians and bands and musicals and stuff. My hairbrush could tell you that I put feeling into whatever singing talent I have, although I'm not the best dancer in the world. My body aches to get out of this car, to go and sign up. Quinn Fabray leaving meant that glee couldn't place in their next big competition, the Regionals.

But something was telling me not to. It was the loser status, the loneliness, the inevitable daily slushie in the face.

But it was what I wanted. Sander would call me a coward.

Before I knew it, I was back in the school, my sneakers squeaking on the lino. I had picked up the pen and had written half of my name before I was interrupted.

"Daisy?"

I turned. My lab partner, Artie, was sitting there, flanked by the fabulusiton Kurt, who was looking me up and down, analysing me. Artie was looking me in the eye; I wished he wouldn't do that.

"Hi, Artie."

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

Glee club must have just finished, because the rest of them were now emerging from the auditorium: Finn Hudson, looking forlorn, Mercedes and Tina who were giggling about something or other. They were followed by the grim-faced Puck who was with Mike and Matt, two football players. Santana and Brittany next, followed finally by Rachel Berry, who was also looking down. None of them noticed me, as they went to their lockers and left the school in sequence. Mr. Schue came out of the room shortly after, not noticing either.

"I...I'm signing up for glee club." I admitted, answering Artie's question.

"Really?" he looked up at Kurt, "so does this mean we can compete in Regionals now?"

"If she can sing." Kurt commented briefly. He sniffed at me, nodded at Artie before he flicked his hair, sashaying away.

I took his departure to complete my application, said goodbye to Artie who wheeled himself away, and looked at the poster properly:

**Join your school's Glee Club!**

**New Directions!**

**If you want to apply, write your name below and come to the auditions every Thursday at the auditorium at 4pm, with one ballad to perform + one song of your choice.**

Hmmm. Thursday is tomorrow. Time to choose songs before I change my mind.

And to savour what is hopefully my last night as a non-homo-explosion-loser.


	3. Chapter 2 Will

**Hi! Hope you enjoy Chapter 2 from Will's point of view! You-Tube links are below for songs that will be in this ep! Please R&R!**

**Ringtone: http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=hRGlEvPEacg**

**First song: http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=O4MnOE6AVbY**

**Ballad****: http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=273eSvOwpKk**

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee**

Chapter 2

Will

My phone rang.

"_Beggin, Beggin you...put your lovin hand out, baby..."_

I stirred and woke. My alarm clock was projecting the time onto the ceiling. Seven am. I let the cell go to voice-mail and laid there for a moment before getting up, trying not to wake Emma. He auburn hair was splayed out on the pillow, and her fingers were primly laced together.

I feel myself grin. After everything that had happened with Terri, I knew Emma was the one thing I could count on. Her, and my kids. I'm grateful for New Directions, too; even through everything that had happened to us, such as Sue Sylvester trying to sabotage the club, we are all closer than ever, and I am grateful for that, too.

As I make coffee and get prepared for the day, I think about Terri. She was my wife, and had been for almost fifteen years, but the only viewpoint I could take now was that it had been a wasted period of my life, because through it all I knew now that she had been willing to strip it all away, to lie, to confuse and screw up the life of a young girl, let alone her husband.

On the subject of Quinn, there was nothing I could say. She lied too, but I understood that she was just doing all she could for her child, which is why she's moved out of town to find suitable parents. I know Finn is torn up, and Puck isnt' doing too well either. Right now, the kids needed me. Morale is low over the loss of Quinn and the fact that we were no longer eligible for Regionals.

If only one more person would join...

* * *

I park my car into the school lot, and like every day, I see some of the glee kids entering the building.

The Sun was still rising, and it was casting a warm glow on the lot. I take in a deep breath, get my stuff out of the back seat and enter the building.

* * *

It's lunch, and I'm in the teacher's lounge. I'm working on stuff for that day's glee club.

Emma's over by the coffee machine, Ken's over at the other end of the room with the Lab teachers, and Sue Sylvester is reading a large newspaper the next table over which obscured her entire form.

Since being reinstated, Sue has taken to eating alone, working alone, and not uttering a work to anyone except her Cheerios. She had instantly taken Santana and Brittany off the squad after insisting that they were spending squad budget money on hair product for me. I ignored her as if she were not there, and that seemed to suit the both of us.

Emma put my coffee cup on the table, and sat with her own in her hands. The Sun was shining in through the window and lighting up her hair, and I thought about how she could possibly want me. We didn't 'canoodle' (as Emma puts it) in front of Ken, for respect of him, I guess.

All of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice ring through the room.

"Hi, Mr. Schue, I was just wondering if you've noticed the-"

"Rachel, I don't think you're supposed to be in here."

"-and since New Directions won Sectionals I don't think it would be appropriate to continue letting the club go on in this state of low morale, and therefore-"

"This is the _teacher's lounge_."

"Mr. Schue, are you even listening to me?"

I was so used to her constant jabber that I hadn't caught the most of what she had said. Emma was looking from Rachel to me with a sense of amusement in her eyes, and I noticed Sue was gripping her newspaper more tightly than before.

I sighed, "...Yes, Rachel?"

She looked down at me with an exasperated look on her face, "You weren't listening. I knew it. Mr. Schue, somebody's signed up to audition today!"

"Really?" I asked, setting down my cup, "Who?"

"I don't know who she is, Artie said she's his lab partner. My point Mr. Schuester is that as team captain I should have a say in whether or not she is accepted-"

I interrupted again, "Rachel, the _entire_ club will judge. It wouldn't be fair just for the two of us to make a decision. Tell the others to be at the auditorium at four."

Rachel looked satisfied, nodded with her lips pursed and swept out. I smiled at Emma, who stared at me over her coffee.

"Looks like someones taken sympathy," I commented.

"It looks like it, Will. There is a massive peer pressure force against glee club; whoever signed up must have put Quinn's departure into consideration, otherwise I don't think they would have."

"Huh. At least something good came out of her leaving," I smiled at her, and she blushed, averting her eyes.

I gathered my papers, put my empty coffee cup in the sink, and kissed Emma's forehead goodbye as the afternoon classes were about to start.

* * *

4pm. Time for the audition.

I'm sitting in the auditorium, with Rachel next to me having insisted she should sit up front as team captain. The rest of the club are sitting at the back, where they will be able to hear her sing, but she might not see them. I'm flicking through my papers absent-mindedly, waiting for this Daisy Butter to arrive. Rachel was sitting very business-like, with a friendly smile already prepared on her face. I could hear the rest of the club members muttering to each other, and I distinctly heard Kurt say, "You guys had better hope this chick can sing."

I sighed, and was just about to turn around to talk to them when the door opened and a head appeared through,

"Hello? Oh. Um...I'm Daisy Butter."

"Hi Daisy, come on in."

The girl shuffled in, setting her bag on the floor. She was small, with shoulder length blonde hair. I smiled in what I hoped was a welcoming smile, and leaned forward in my seat to speak into the microphone.

"Alright then Daisy, how this will work is you'll perform your chosen song first, and then the ballad. We'll ask you a couple of questions and we'll let you know after some deliberation what we think. OK?"

"Oh-OK," Daisy replied. Her eyes were at the back of the auditorium- the lights weren't dim enough, she knew she had an audience.

Daisy went to Brad at the piano and the band at the side of the stage and told them her songs before going to her bag, swilling from a bottle of water and returning to the centre of the stage, and her microphone.

"OK, I'm ready."

"Great, take it away."

A few seconds later Steve came in with the piano, and it was only when Daisy began to sing that I recognised the song. It was 'Sophia' by Nerina Pallot, a very quiet song accompanied only by the piano.

"_Five 'o'clock and the fire escape symphony_

_Spilling out across the road and the square,_

_And the sky's the same as you're alone, do you think of me?_

_Do the parks and trees and the leaves reach you there?_"

Hmm. She has a good voice. Definitely good enough for New Directions. Solo worthy? Not sure, yet. This is a very soft, heartfelt song, she isn't showing us her stripes yet.

"_Passion and silence,_

_Every word, every line, a measure,_

_It's the science of the soul,_

_And his books, they breathe a reason and now I wanna know..."_

Her eyes are open and she's staring into space, like she has a specific point to focus on, that's a good way to perform.

Alright, the first song's over.

"Good job, Daisy," I said, giving her the go-ahead to begin the ballad. Daisy nodded, slightly out of breath; out of the corner of my eye I saw Rachel shift in her seat, probably slightly curious, like me, to see what she had chosen for her ballad. Daisy took some deep breaths before nodding to the band.

Guitar strings guided her in.

"_Just have a little_

_Patience._

_Still hurting from a_

_love I lost._"

I had heard the song before, and I was racking my brains to name it. It was almost to the chorus when I remembered to listen.

"_Don't be too hard on my emotions,_

_Cause I..._

_Need time..._

_My heart is numb, has no feeling,_

_So while I'm still healing,_

_Just try..._

_And have a little,_

_Patience._"

Wow. Impressive. That was a big, loud, drawn out chorus with high notes, and she nailed it. I know this song is supposed to be sung by a guy, and it really needs backing singers, but I think Daisy made it work. I noticed some moments where she lost her timing and I could hear her voice straining once or twice, but despite the need for improvement, I highly approve.

Daisy finished the ballad along with the band, and she looked up at me and Rachel, who was beaming. There were some obligatory claps from the back of the auditorium, and Daisy's eyes snapped over before grinning nervously.

"Well, thank you Daisy," I said, "we just have some questions to ask you."

"OK," she replied, a little breathless and red-faced.

Rachel leaned over and spoke in my mic and read from a sheet of paper,

"Hi Daisy, I'm Rachel Berry, _captain_ of New Directions. Question One: Why do you want to be in glee club?"

Daisy swallowed, "Um, well, I really care about performing, and I put my whole heart into everything I do, and I really, really want to be in a club where I know that people feel the same way I do."

"What do you want to achieve in New Directions?"

"I guess to just help glee club go as far as it can, yeah. And also, I wanna meet some new people and make new friends. And, uh...I would really like to get out of Lima, Ohio."

This was met my some whoops at the back, and Daisy smiled again.

"OK. If you could go backstage please Daisy, as we deliberate." I smiled and Daisy walked past the band who were packing up, to behind the stage, and Rachel and I joined the rest of the club at the back.

"OK," I began, leaning on one of the chairs, "what did everyone think?"

They looked amongst themselves before Tina, sat between Puck and Kurt, spoke,

"I thought she was good, Mr. Schue."

"So did I," Puck agreed, briefly.

"Yeah, she was good," Artie said, over next to Finn, "Guys?"

"I liked her and all, but was her voice _big _enough?" Mercedes mused,

"Not really," Kurt answered, "Not for a solo. Not for Regionals."

"But she was good enough, and thats what matters," argued Santana, which Rachel nodded to.

"Alright guys, let's put it down to a vote, shall we?" I interjected, "All those in favour of letting Daisy join New Directions, raise your hand."

Artie, Puck, Tina, Santana, Brittany, Mike and Rachel all raised their hands, whilst Matt, Finn, Mercedes and Kurt didn't.

"I'm afraid the hands have it," I said, grinning as the relief hit me, "Guys, we've got our twelfth number for Regionals."


	4. Chapter 3 Daisy

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee**

Chapter Three

Daisy

I'm in! I'm in I'm in I'm in! I'm so happy I could dance, but I guess for the sake of the people in my immediate environment, I won't.

That audition was terrifying. Seriously. As soon as I noticed the entire glee club watching me, it felt like I was on American Idol. When Mr. Schue told me that the majority of the votes were positive, he also said that he thought my choice of song could have had some more thought put into it. I guess, in hindsight, he was right. I only chose '_Sophia'_ because my sister said that I had the 50's cocktail voice down pat, and that's a very soft, crooning song. I guess that's not what glee club is looking for. It's lucky they liked my ballad.

As I walked into the back of the school, the day after the audition, I could see several jocks huddled by their lockers, some of whom had slushies in their hands. I shuffled past quietly, determined not to draw any attention to myself.

Why oh why is the jock's locker room next to the lab block, where my locker conveniently is?

Open the locker. In goes car keys, out come wipes for inevitable slushie facial, gym shoes and iPod for my first ever glee club meeting after school today. Close locker.

OK, so far so good. They haven't noticed me. Right, now back to the arts corridor, and the auditorium-

"Hey, Butter!"

Aw, crap. I turn around- Dave Karofsky and his pack of bears were still at the door of their locker room. Karofsky was arrogant and selfish, I had never liked him and his 'i'm so intimidating' act. If there was one person who was the symbol of the hatred against glee club, it was him.

"You do that paper for American History?" he called, leering.

"Yeah."  
"You wanna give it to me to copy? It's due next period."

"Sorry Karofsky, you should have done it in your own time."

And without giving him a chance to respond, I hurried off towards the auditorium.

I stepped in. Nobody was there.

It was a lovely room. The big piano headed the room and several rows of benches and chairs were at the back. The back wall was decorated by a cork board which had several photographs pinned to it. I saw one of the entire glee club, with Quinn Fabray sat in the middle next to Finn. I stared at it for a minute.

"Oh, hello."

I jumped and turned. It was Tina wheeling Artie in trough the door. He waved, grinning.

"Hi."

"Welcome to glee," Tina said quietly, hitching her black gloves up and offering a hand to shake. I shook it.

"Thanks. I'm Daisy."

"Tina."

"Nice to meet you."

She nodded before sitting on one of the benches and pulling out a book from her bag. I was just about to ask Artie about the Lab homework we were set two days ago before a loud, ringing voice commanded attention.

"Hey Daisy, I'm Rachel Berry, you remember me, right?"

Tina groaned under her breath and Artie rolled his eyes as Rachel marched over to us. She was wearing a knee length brown skirt and a cream coloured long sleeved shirt, along with the hundred-watt smile that seemed to be permanently on her face. I waggled my fingers at her in reply. She thrust a blueberry muffin at me,

"Welcome to New Directions. Good choice of ballad."

"Um. Thanks for the muffin."

"My gay dads have won several baking competitions."

I was overcome with an odd mixed feeling of bursting into giggles and stuffing the muffin into Rachel's mouth so she couldn't speak. Instead I just took a large bite and thankfully the bell rang for first class.

"What do you have now, Tina?" Rachel asked the goth girl, who had a half-eaten apple in her hand,

"Math."

"I have American History," I explained, "It's way at the other end of the school, so I better get going."

"Bye!" Rachel was wheeling Arite out of the room, presumably they had the same class together. I grinned at them both, waved at Tina and hurried off to first period.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of anticipation; I remember only a few distinct events, such as Karofsky glaring at me when Rigsby scolded him for not having his homework, and Artie and I excitedly discussing the recent history of New Directions in fourth period Lab, and I accidently added the wrong chemical to the wrong solution thingy and the result burned holes in our desk.

I entered the auditorium at three thirty with almost unnecessary anticipation. The only people in there were Santana and Brittany, Mike Chang, Finn Hudson, Kurt Hummel and Puck. They were chatting happily with one another; Puck was the only one who wasn't, looking as if he wanted to blend into the wall behind him.

At my entrance they quietened, looking at me. Swallowing my sudden nerves, I raised one hand and waved,

"Um, hi. Daisy."

"Hi," Finn said back. He got up and moved awkwardly over to shake my hand, "I'm Finn," he added.

I nodded: of course I knew who he was. He was cute, Finn- all tall and broad shouldered, he had a sweet smile. If you liked that sort of thing- when you're as tiny as I am, almost every guy hits the mark, height-wise. I guess I'm looking for someone more anonymous- less obviously desirable. Not like Finn, or even Puck, or any of the football players.

He took me over to the others. Kurt stood, a snooty look on his face, but when Finn and I got within his range he softened, grinning slightly.

"Hi, I'm Kurt. Nice to meet you, Daisy," he greeted, nodding but not offering a hand to shake or a hug- I was slightly taken aback by his sudden change of reception towards me, but I returned his greeting with a 'hi.' To be honest, he intimidated me a little.

I was introduced to the others- including Brittany who hugged me as if I were her best friend- and before long the rest of the club arrived; Rachel, Tina, Artie, Mercedes and Matt, who were all reasonably friendly and welcoming. By the time Mr. Schuester got there, Puck (who was sitting in the corner with Tina and Matt) was the only one I hadn't spoken to- but I guessed it was because I was sitting near Finn, and Artie had told me that they weren't speaking, which made sense.

Mr. Schuester walked in, with his trademark paper-stuffed arms. He grinned, looking quickly from each of us in turn, making sure we were all there.

"OK!" he said loudly, and the chatter filtered out at once, "Glee club is in session, and first of all I would like to say welcome to our new member, Daisy Butter. Welcome, Daisy!"

I squirmed as some of the others agreed, beamed at me and patted me on the back. I nodded at Mr. Schue as he continued, leaning against the piano with his arms crossed,

"Thank you for joining, because without you we would not be able to take part in Regionals."

I nodded again; out of the corner of my eye I saw Finn hang his head a little.

"Speaking of Regionals, I think it's high time we begin to work on it. Regionals is at the beginning of May, which gives us four months to prepare five songs to perform which includes one ballad, one duet, and one mashup. This gives us a lot of work to do, since we're only allowed to use one song that we've used before."

Mr. Schue paused for a moment to let it sink in,

"Any thoughts?"

"What about the songs that were stolen from us?" Finn mused, "Can we use any of them?"

"I don't see why not Finn, but remember that the judges don't know that they were, so we have to be careful otherwise they'll think we've stolen from the clubs that you beat at Sectionals."

Rachel piped up, "Well, the deaf school's '_Don't Stop Believin_' was pretty much ineligible, so I think that gives us the opportunity to use it. Compared to us...?"

"That's true," Tina said quietly, "What about _'Proud Mary_' on wheelchairs?"

None of this means anything to me; Artie had told me that they had had songs taken from them- but I don't think I've ever heard '_Proud Mary' _or _'Don't Stop Believin'_. Mr. Schue must have noticed that I was looking out of it,

"Hey guys, before we make decisions, I think Daisy should know what these songs are. We need a group decision."

"Sure," Kurt said, dropping his iPod into my hand like he didn't want to touch me, but he had been smiling, "I've uploaded all of our numbers onto my MP3. Listen."

I did so, plugging myself in and listening to _'Proud Mary' _by the club. I couldn't distinguish which guy was singing for most of the time, but I could tell Mercedes' voice from a mile away. It was great listening, and I could just imagine it performed in wheelchairs.

'_Don't Stop Believin_' next...It's a very layered, uplifting song with great music behind in, much like '_Somebody to Love_.' A great song.

I took off the headphones and gave the iPod back to Kurt. The others were still chattering.

"- what about '_Somebody to Love_'? It can be our used song-"

"We've used it at both Invitationals and Sectionals, the judges will want something new."

It went on like this for a few minutes before Mr. Schuester stepped in,

"OK guys, it seems we're not about to get decisions today. I think we should not focus on the ballad or the two group songs just yet. Remember we have a whole load of songs on your setlist that we haven't used. I say we concentrate on the mashup and the duet first of all. That OK with everyone?"

There was a general murmer of agreement. Mr. Schue turned and gathered a hefty pile of paper from the piano and handed them out.

"I've prepared two mashups, one for boys and one for girls. You guys work on them, and next we'll you'll perform- after that you guys can prepare a group mashup. This can give us a taste of what we can do for Regionals, and also Daisy can ger the grips of New Directions; girls, show her the ropes."

I perused the girls' mashup. It was '_Diamond's Are a Girl's Best Friend' _and '_Material Girl' _by Madonna. Hmm. The girls scurried in a group away from the boys - I could see Mercedes and Kurt both looking apprehensive at their seperation. Rachel was already humming the chorus's of both songs, twisting and mixing them in different ways.

"Look guys, it's four-fifteen. I have this family thing at five, so can I go?" asked Santana. She and Brittany were the only ones who were standing. Rachel looked up at her and nodded,

"Sure. Anyone wanna come over my house tomorrow? We can work on the mashup, we have all weekend to do it."

"I'll go," I said immediately, "Where do you live?"

Rachel wrote down her address for me on a Post-It she had in her bag, while Tina, Mercedes and the two ex-cheerleaders said they would be there and filtered out.

Rachel stood. We waved at the boys who were sitting in a circle- only Finn, Artie and Mr. Schue noticed and waved back. She wrapped her arm around mine as we walked out of the auditorium, still jabbering,

"We'll keep our mashup a secret from the boys, that way Mercedes can find out from Kurt what the boys have and we'll have the advantage!"

"Great," I was still kind of amused by her, but slightly annoyed at the same time. But I liked her, she's the star of New Directions! So far it's going well.

"I voted for you, you know." she said quietly.

I don't know what to say to that. I think she said it not just for my gratitude; there was something in the way her face was set that showed that she wanted me to like her.

So after a short pause I squeezed her arm and said, "Thanks."

She smiled at me, before returning sharply to her jabbering, "Make sure you're at my house at eleven am sharp tomorrow morning, and get plenty of sleep..."

"I will."


	5. Chapter 4 Kurt

**Hey people. Here's chapter a la Kurt, so I hope you enjoy it! Next episode's Daisy again, then we have a good ole' break from my OC with lots of chapters with original glee club members so I hope you stick around! PLEASE review! Thanks! AB**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Glee or any of the characters, except Daisy.**

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee**

Chapter Four

Kurt

The second Sting is included in a guy's mashup, I know I'm not wanted anymore. Honestly. The others are all excited over our Usher and Sting mashup. Come on, people! These vocal cords are here for a reason!

Finn, Artie, Michael, Matthew and Noah are all discussing how the different songs are going to be twisted to form some kind of entertainment; Mr. Schue is watching over the proceedings with his arms crossed, and I'm sitting here, resting my head in one of my hands and the other drumming my manicured fingers on my knee. Finn was directly opposite me, looking perfect and gorgeous as always- but I saw through his happy mask; he was raw inside, like someones ripped off a large Band-Aid from his heart. Damn Quinn Fabray. And damn Noah Puckerman.

Rachel and Daisy Butter were getting up to leave, stacking their chairs and picking up their bags. They waved: "Bye!" Finn waved, and his eyes lingered on the door just slightly longer than they should have. My heart sank and squeezed, like it always has whenever Finn looked at a girl that way.

I also see Mercedes has left. We were supposed to be meeting with Tina at the Karofsky's burger joint, to discuss the latest gossip: Quinn leaving and Daisy joining. I guess that's not happening today.

"Kurt, are you busy tomorrow?" Artie's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "We're all coming over to my place to rehearse."

"I have to work," I replied brightly (out of all of the other guys in glee, I see Artie the most as a friend), "I help at my Dad's mechanic's store for a few hours every Saturday in return for a double allowance. I get off at two o'clock."

"That's OK. We'll meet at three," Artie said with a courteous nod at me, "Guys, be at my place at three. I gotta go, I can hear my Dad honking the horn out back."

I waved and the other guys made caveman grunts as Artie left. At the departure of Artie, the other guys began to talk about football, and that there was a game on on Sunday (Mr. Schue had gone to make a call), and I went back to thinking about Finn; since I don't have Mercedes or Tina to talk to I guess I'll discuss with myself.

With Quinn gone for good until mid-March, anyone would think that Finn was right there for the taking. But I'm not heartless. Finn and Quinn have been seperated for almost two months now, but that doesn't excuse the fact that he thought the baby was his, and that he loves...loved...Quinn. Of all people I know that it can take a long, long time letting go of people that you love.

"Kurt?"  
"Huh?"

I think only Finn's voice could have woken me.

"We've been trying to talk to you. You're staring into space."

"Sorry- I'm tired. Friday, you know."

Finn smiled, "That's cool. I totally understand."

He stood, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. I took it as my cue to leave as well- he wasn't going anywhere with the other guys, who had formed an awkward alliance with Noah. We walked out of the auditorium together and went out of the main entrance. It was still cold, so our breathing came out in puffs of mist- Finn wrapped his jacket around himself. He caught me staring, like he often did, but as always did he didn't say anything. Instead he pursed his lips in a smile and flickered his eyes to the ground.

"You'll be at Artie's tomorrow?" I asked, to smooth over the awkward moment, and Finn smiled immediately, relieved,

"Yeah. I'll see you there."

"Yeah, see ya." I smiled as Finn turned away and walked towards his car.

I sighed and went for my own car at the other side of the lot.

* * *

"I'm back, Dad!" I called as I got through the door. I heard his grunt in reply. I laid my keys on counter and quickly put my Marc Jacob jacket in my closet upstairs.

I could hear the game of some sort playing on the TV in the lounge; no doubt Dad was sitting in front of it. Things have been awkward with my Dad ever since he walked in on me kissing my pillow last week.

"Hi, Dad."

Dad looked up from the screen, nodded at me with a kind of half attempted smile before returning to the screen,

"Hey, son. How was your day?"

"Mediocre."

"Dinner's in the oven."

"Cool. I'm going to go to my room."

"It's your favourite- cheeseburger."

"Fine." Good thing I didn't go to Karofsky's- I can't have two burgers in one day, it would totally ruin my skin regime.

"You working tomorrow?" he called as I was walking up the stairs,

"Yes, Dad." Like I do every week.

I re-entered my room. It's modestly decorated; I haven't cared to change my sky blue wallpaper since before my Mom died. I set down my bag and look at myself in the full-length mirror. I'm too skinny. My eyes look too downcast. My face is too red.

I do my homework, do some vocal exercises, I take a shower, and have a quiet dinner with my Dad. I go to bed. I think about Finn some more.

If there was ever the slightest chance that he was gay, or even bi, I was probably in there in a heartbeat. He had countless times called he his friend, his 'buddy.' But I do have to admit, whilst he was good and straight, I would only be that- his buddy. He's more likely to start dating Rachel every day. That totally kills me.

Okay, subject change. Daisy Butter.

She has a good voice. I mean, I enjoyed her audition- she's no showstopper like Rachel or _moi_; but she's still very good. I feel guilty for not voting her in, I only did so because I was worried about the whole 'Finn-back-on-the-market' thing. I guess as soon as I saw him be all cavalier towards her today, welcoming and such, I knew that wouldn't be a problem. Finn's a bumbling adorable fool around girls that he likes. I'll be sure to be less cold towards her from now on.

Okay, some more vocal exercises, then my beauty sleep.

* * *

Ohh what a beautiful moooorning, oh what a beautiful day...that would sound so fly in my soprano, although it's totally not a nice day outside. It's threatening monsoons.

It's noon, and I'm in the mechanic's store downtown that my Dad runs. He's working on some beat-up mustard yellow Ford that someone brought in earlier this morning. I'm cleaning his tools and handing them to him whenever he needs them; business is slow so far. Dad and I rotate on the music; he was last week, so I have the cast album of Cabaret playing on the boom box.

We work meticulously for two hours, making jokes about cars and other stuff- despite being gay, I still try and pretend that that stuff does it for me- and we finish the Ford, leaving us work-free.

It's 2pm, an hour before I'm due at Artie's. Dad and I are taking a deserved but not so needed break with coffee with doughnuts. It's still seriously cold, so I'm wearing a black cotton sweater; I may be fabulous at all times but I'm so over having my designer clothes covered in oil. The phone rings over on the counter by the tools- I let Dad get it. I hum along to the radio, "_What good is sitting, alone in your room? Come, let the music play_..." The world is so ready for a male Sally Bowles.

"That was the owner of the car," Dad came back from the phone, effectively destroying my 'Kurt Hummel aka Liza' fantasy, "She's on her way."

"A girl owns that thing? I would have thought that a girl would take better care of her car."

I went back to humming. Dad slumped down next to me, drinking from a cup of coffee,

"So...um...how's glee club going?" he asks.

I raise my eyebrows. Dad never asks about glee club, not since the Defying Gravity fiasco. I keep him up-to-date nonetheless, even though I know he doesn't really care.

"It's good. Some girl joined the club yesterday, so we can go to Regionals."

"Good. So what's this girl like?" he replied, that undeniable glint of hope in his eye, but like every time he asks me about a girl, I shrug and say nothing.

The bell rang at the front of the store.

"That's her," Dad went to answer it, and came back almost immediately with none other than Daisy Butter following. I blinked in the total shock that came with the coincidence. Lima just got smaller. She was wearing a faded denim jacket that was buttoned up with plum coloured skinnies with a matching headband, and she was showering my father with her thanks for fixing her shack-on-wheels.

As Dad moved to the side he revealed me to Daisy, who promptly froze and stared at me where I was sitting on my patio chair. I was also adequately surprised; none of the other glee kids had ever seen me in anything other than suitable designer wear. Not even Mercedes.

" 'Hummel's Mechanics,' " Daisy muttered, her left hand gesturing towards the front of the store and the sign above it, "Of course. Hummel."

"That's my name." Eloquency not so easy to attain, Kurt?

Daisy pursed her lips and nodded, looking embarrassed, "Hey, Kurt."

"Hello, Daisy. I dearly hope this machine you call a car does not reflect your personality."

"Don't hate the car," she immediately ran her hand over the rusty yellow hood, as if she were protective of it. I shifted in my seat. Dad had vanished, no doubt part of his 'get Kurt straight' plan. I stand and pulled my sleeves up- I need to represent some kind of look other than sloppy gay. I can do scruffy prep.

"So how come it's here if you are this smitten on your rust-ridden-road-racer?"

"Alliteration."

"It's my thing."

"It broke down on the way to Rachel's this morning, so I had to run home, get your Dad to tow it over and then get to Rachel's. I was an hour late."

"I bet she gave you that look."

"Which look?"

"She's famous for it. Were her eyebrows separate by the time you left?"

"Oh, _that _look."

We partook in banter for a little while before I went to get changed for Artie's and Daisy paid my Dad and left with her car.

* * *

"Mike, what do you call this move?"

"A slide."

"Cool. Am I doing it right?"

"Not really. It's like this..."

Michael glided across the wooden floor, his feet switching position rapidly without making any difference to the movement of his torso, before he dropped in a split. Finn was standing above him, looking completely confused. Michael got up from the floor, exasperation on his face,

"Don't sweat it, Finn. Just relax."

Finn tried the slide but tripped on his own feet and landed on his spectacular backside. Noah, who was perusing sheet music with Matthew in the corner, looked over and snorted.

I was sitting on the corner of Artie's bed, Artie himself sat beside me in his wheelchair and we were both watching the four of them.

We had already been at Artie's for two hours. Finn, who was good at composing mashups, had already mashed it and we had memorised it. They were now, however, trying to choreograph the number, which was proving difficult as Finn tended to trip over his own feet when he was standing still; I suppose it's difficult keeping those long, strong limbs in line.

"Hey, you guys notice the pins on that Butter chick?" Noah said, still looking at the sheet music. Vulgar reptile. Michael and Matthew both made non-committed grunts and Finn didn't say anything at all. I glanced at Artie, and he was frowning. Noah looked up, apparently not happy enough with the responses he got,

"She seems like a total nerd, though," he added; he looked at Artie who still looked unhappy and quickly christened him a 'cool nerd' and not to take offence. He completely disregarded me, obviously, like always.

"She was at my mechanic's store earlier," I said, "She has an ugly car."

Noah smirked, "I would like to see in the inside of that car, if you know what I mean."

He nudged Matt and gave a dirty laugh.

My heart tightened as Finn suddenly looked pained and left the room, saying something about the bathroom, and trudged up the green wallpapered hallway. I thought about going after him, but I thought better of it; I was already treading on thin ice concerning him discovering me feelings for him.

"What is your problem, dude?" Mike said, digging his hands in his pockets, "You know that must have upset Finn."

Noah shrugged, "So? Doesn't mean I don't have eyes."

"Quinn's gone-"

"Exactly."

"-to find parents for _your_ baby." Matt cut in.

"Hey, that was her decision. She's moved on, so I am."

"Sorry, Puck," Artie said, a shrewd smile on his face, "I know Daisy. She wouldn't date you. If dating is what you do."

He shrugged again. A moment passed in silence.

"Don't worry Artie. Noah's already got a girlfriend." I said.

Noah's head snapped up to look at me, "I dunno what you're-"

"Oh, puh-lease. I may be gay, but I'm not queer. You've been dating Tina for weeks."

The other three gasped.

"That whole thing about Daisy was a ruse to throw us off your scent. Tina told Mercedes, and she told me." I added, loving the whole dynamic of it all.

Noah's eyes narrowed, "Look, we don't want Finn to know cause, you know, we're not stupid. If he found out I'm dating another girl after I knocked his up...Sorry man," he added to Artie imploringly, "I know you two..."

"It's cool, man," Artie waved him away, "It was only a half date, like two months ago. No worries."

Noah nodded, his eyes on the floor.

Finn re-entered the room again, appearing to be deep in thought, but no longer in pain. He didn't appear to have heard us,

"Come on guys, let's get this done."

He had another try on the slide...he didn't land on his behind, but achieved a half-split, causing Matt to groan. I clapped, and over Finn's head I held eye-contact with Noah. If he so thought as to make Finn's life harder, or to hurt Tina, he would hear from me- he would so regret it.


	6. Chapter 5 Daisy

Hi people! Sorry it's taken ages to update, but I hope you enjoy this whopper of a chapter. Next chapter is in TINA'S POV, so don't stop reading! Thanks again, and PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE review, or just give any feedback! Would also like to say I don't own glee, any of the characters besides Daisy, and I don't own ANY of the songs used!

Song links:

Girls mashup: http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=0L8sHIU8YAg

and http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=MX1Q48Uqses

Boys mashup: http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=NiXbRBS5Z58

and http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=BMXCPANHeYM

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee**

Chapter Five

Daisy

"You're seriously not awake this morning, are you?"

"Semi."

"You want me to pinch you? Actually no...I can't have red marks on your skin detract from our performance."

"Sorry. My Mom made me work late last night, I help out every once in a while as a receptionist at the dentist."

"Does she work with Mercedes' Dad?"

"Yeah."

It was Monday, eight-thirty, and the day of the mashup performances. I was absolutely beat from the weekend- we worked at Rachel's on Saturday and she had us all working on Sunday via web-cams, meaning I had to push my shift as the receptionist at the dentist back into the evening.

I never realised that glee club was so involved- I just figured that it was just a weekly meeting, but they meet pretty much every say after school and at lunch.

Rachel and I entered homeroom- we have the same homeroom but never spoke before- and sat down. The Sun was blocked out completely, the sky a think blanket of clouds, but Rachel was practically buzzing, I guess from the fact that we'll be performing later today. She had a huge smile on her face that was almost unsettling.

"OK, so Mercedes and Tina have done the costumes. I hope she hasn't picked a style that will emphasize my nose..."

I nodded, and silently prayed that they hadn't made me a long dress to stumble over.

"I just hope they aren't hideous."

"In the end it won't matter. We'll be better than the guys, and our talents combined with surely give us the recognition we deserve."

"From who, Mr. Schue?"

"Exactly."

There was a loud thump on the teachers' desk, showing that our homeroom rep had arrived. Rachel visibly shrank back into her seat.

"Morning, ladies."

"Where's Miss. Banner?" someone asked.

Miss. Sylvester stood before us, wearing a matching dark green Adidas trackie. She had a look of total disdain upon her face.

"Well, my gender-confused friend, Banner's been taken to hospital- she stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated by the paramedics. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I had her wing of the Science block fumigated on Friday, without any proper warning. I'm your homeroom rep until she gets another windpipe; I'm sure we'll get along fantastically."

There was an audible gump from the seat beside me, and the boy who had asked touched his ponytail protectively.

* * *

"This is invasion, I swear."

"Why are you freaking? I thought she hasn't done anything since Sectionals." I say, sat on the benches in the auditorium. Rachel had dragged me here as soon as we could get out of homeroom, and she was pacing briskly in front of me with her arms crossed. She hadn't even bothered to turn the lights on, so we were in semi-darkness.

"Yes, but that's the thing. _She hasn't_. This must be a search-and-destroy technique, the purpose of which is to intimidate me as the star and you as the rookie." She was on a rant now, "Without us both, the club will crumble to it's demise. Mr. Schue will believe me. You prepare for the performance, I'll handle this. See you second period."

She picked up her bag and swept out of the room. I sighed in the sudden silence.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late Mr. Fellows. I had to take my friend to the nurse. She had a nosebleed."

"Take a seat, Ms. Butter," my Lab teacher looked at me disapprovingly and gestured towards my desk.

I stepped past all of the other desks to Artie at the back. He was there, leaning against his notebook, pen in hand. Mondays were 'Fellows Jabbers' days, in which he would go on and on about some experiment that we would try and replicate on Wednesday, and evaluate on Friday. Mondays meant that we didn't have to crane our necks to see him, or listen much. Mondays meant note passing.

I sat beside Artie and got my things out, and Fellows continued his lecture. Usually on Mondays I would stare around the rectangular room and do nothing, and copy for Artie the day after, but since I joined glee club we were on much better terms.

"Good morning," he said quietly to me.

"Hi," I whispered back. Even though we had a slightly lowered desk and were at the back, it didn't mean we couldn't slip into Fellows' radar, so we didn't turn our heads to look at each other or speak much louder than a whisper. The people sitting in front of us were passing notes, so I took my pad and tore off a page, before scrawling on it,

'Hey, have a good weekend?'

He wrote back,

"_It was cool, the guys worked all weekend on the mashup. What about you?'_

'The same, really.'

'_How come you were late?_' he wrote. He had clearly seen through my nosebleed lie.

'Oh that. No, Rachel was just freaking out because Miss. Sylvester is our substitute homeroom rep.'

'_Hold up_,' he scribbled back immediately, '_What happened with her?_'

'Not you too.'

'_She's a freaky woman, Daisy. She's so freaky, I'm not even entirely sure she's a biological woman._'

I fought back laughter, which resulted in a coughing fit that I got through before writing back.

'Well, all she's doing is taking our homeroom for a couple of weeks. It's nothing.

'_Maybe we should tell Mr. Schue._'

'Okay, we will,' I just wanted to change the subject, 'Now tell me- do you feel confident? I would say the girls have one awesome performance planned.'

_'I don't know, you haven't seen Kurt when he gets competitive. And we have Mike, who's the best dancer._'

'And you, with your bow tie magic.'

'_We could win with just that._'

'Sure.'

We passed notes for the entire class- the page from my notepad had my scribbles in blue in and Artie's slanting print on black ink squeezed into every space. At the end of the class, I stuffed it into my bag and put all my other stuff away as the rest of the class filed out. Artie had his satchel bag on his lap and was stretching his arms and back, preparing himself for the travel to his next class.

"What do you have next?" he asked, looking up at me. I lifted my hand to shield my eyes from the sudden sunlight that was streaming through the window.

"English, but Rachel wants me to ditch to rehearse with the costumes."

"You juvenile."

I laughed, "What about you?"

"Math." He reached down to his wheels,

"Let me get that," I stepped behind Artie and took the handlebars.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked, actually sounding nervous, as I guided him out of the classroom.

"Totally. Trust me Artie. I'm not gonna run you into any jocks."

He looked up at me, one eyebrow raised, "Ha, ha."

"Where are we headed?"

"Room 4A."

We got there a few minutes later. Artie turned.

"Thanks, Daisy."

"No problem."

"See you at the smackdown."

I smiled, "See ya."

I turned and made my way back to the auditorium, but almost slammed straight into Dave Karofsky. He was leering at me again, and I realised with a jolt that this was the first time that I had encountered him since he knew that I was in glee club.

"Hey, MILF," he said, jerking his chin at me,

"MILF?"

"Midget I'd Like to-"

"Alright. Also, ew."

His leer turned to a scowl, "What's this I hear about you turning homo-explosion on me?"

The bell rings for next period, but he doesn't move.

I shrug, "I can do what I want."

He mimics me, "Fine. But my offer won't last forever."

"What ever will I do?"

"Watch your chin-waggin', Butter. Next time I see you I may not be so forgiving."

He stalks past, making sure to plough through my shoulder on the way.

I got to the auditorium a few minutes later, feeling annoyed because of Karofsky. Rachel was the only one who was there, looking satisfied with herself.

"Daisy, I _told _you Mr. Schue would agree with me! I told him about Miss. Sylvester and- what's the matter with you?"

I dropped my bag, "Nothing."

"Stress isn't good for the skin."

"Tell Dave Karofsky that."

Rachel looked at me apprehensively, "I can't. He'll throw me in the dumpster."

At the same time, we both looked up at the door, through which Mercedes, Tina and Brittany stumbled, Tina dripping wet. Rachel leapt to her feet.

"Oh no!" she rushed over to them, helping Brittany take the plastic-covered costumes from Mercedes and lay them on chairs, whilst Mercedes and I helped Tina get to a chair as she had green slushie in her eyes. Tina looked mortified. Mercedes took wipes out of her plum coloured bag.

"Who did it?" I asked as Rachel and Brittany rejoined us,

"Dave Karofsky -that jock," Mercedes answered, and Tina grimaced. Suddenly I noticed that my hands were shaking,

"You mean that _jerk_."

"He strikes again," Rachel said, savouring the dramatics.

"W-what else did he d-do?" asked Tina, shivering.

Mercedes and I wiped Tina's arms and she did her own face and neck, but her hair and clothes were still covered in green apple-flavoured slushie.

"It's cool," Tina sniffed, "I can keep on my costume after the mashup."

Rachel didn't seem so approval of the idea- probably because she hadn't thought the outfits would be suitable for walking-around-school wear.

"I would let you borrow some of my normal clothes," said Brittany softly, still wearing the Cheerios uniform despite having been thrown off the squad, "But I don't have any."

Mercedes looked at her, incredulous, "What do you mean, you don't have any?"

Brittany smiled and ducked her head slightly, "Miss. Sylvester said that, when we got on the squad, we wouldn't need any other clothes...so I threw all mine away."

Rachel, Mercedes and Tina all looked at each other, seemingly not having realised that Brittany had kept on her uniform.

"Girl, I'm taking you shopping," Mercedes said.

* * *

"OK everyone, welcome to the first Regionals mashup showdown!"

Everyone cheered and clapped. Mr. Schue stood at the piano, looking at us all with amusement.

We were sat seperately; the girls sat in the far corner of the room, the boys by the door. Mercedes and Tina had really come through with the costumes: they were all pink dresses, but the styles and lengths were different for each of us- for instance, Rachel's was covered in huge shiny pink sequins and was tight and short, mine had a bow tied around the waist and was more flowing, and Brittany's had a matching flowery hat. The boys' outfits were typical- all tight black shirts, baggy jeans and leather jackets, although the effect was kind of ruined with Kurt's perfectly combed hair and Artie's bow tie and suspenders.

We were all buzzing, grinning at the others in our respective groups and making faces jokingly at the other groups; Puck made a crude hand gesture to Tina and she gasped before sticking her tongue out at him. We all laughed, and I leaned forward so Artie could see me make a Loser sign at him with my fingers- he hissed in reply.

Mr. Schue laughed, "Alright guys, settle down," we all were silent immediately, "I hope y'all have prepared great mashups to perform today. And I gotta say, you all look great," this was met by whoops, "Okay, flip to see who goes first."

He got a coin out of his pocket and flipped,

"Heads!" Rachel called it,

Mr. Schue caught the coin, "Heads," he confirmed, grinning as Rachel leapt onto her feet. The other girls all followed, giggling, excited. I trailed behind, suddenly terrified of what I was about to do. Santana must have seen, because she stepped in front of me beside Rachel, her eyes glinting triumphantly; I suppose she must not get a lot of limelight in the group numbers. Brittany, who was between Tina and I, quickly squeezed my hand soothingly.

The boys clapped, and Mr. Schue told us to take it away.

The band guided us in. We all twirled, me trying not to stumble next to Mercedes. Rachel began,

"_The French are glad to die for love,  
They delight in fighting duels,  
But I prefer a man who lives,  
And gives expensive jewels._"

The music bumped into Madonna, and I could see Kurt over Santana's shoulder jumping up and down in his seat. She stepped past Rachel and took the lead,

"_Some boys romance, some boys slow dance  
That's all right with me,  
If they can't raise my interest then I  
Have to let them be_."

I stumbled slightly on my dress as we all sang, walking forward slowly and sticking our arms out,

"_A kiss on the hand may be, quite continental,  
But diamonds are a girls best friend.  
A kiss may be grand but it wont pay the rental,  
On your humble flat  
Or help you at the automat._

_And you know that we are living in a material world,  
And I am a material girl._"

There was a short interlude as I skittered to the front. We all held out our left arms, with large faux diamond rings on each of our hands.

"_A kiss on the hand may be, quite continental_," I rang out, with Brittany chiming behind me with,

"_Quite continental_..."

"_But diamonds (diamonds) are a girls best friend (Material girl...)  
Living in a material world (diamonds...)  
Living in a material world (...are a girl's best friend_!)"

Mercedes wailed on the last note, and Tina had to grab my arm as I stumbled once more out of line. We all posed, right arms out, as the music ended. The boys clapped and whooped; my heart thumped as we all dropped our poses and slowly returned to our seats. Mr. Schue also clapped, laughing.

"Great work girls, awesome!" he cried, "Guys, you're up!"

I settled in my seat, and Kurt grinned smugly as he rose from his seat and gracefully took his place beside Matt and Artie. Mike and Puck stood at the front, with Finn standing on Mike's other side. The music started, a reggae intro with the distinctive Usher beat over it. Puck stepped forward, with the others mimicking his moves.

"_Up in the club with my homies, tryna get a little V-I, but keep it down on the low key, 'cause you know how it is.  
I saw shorty she was checkin' up on me, from the game she was spittin' in my ear you would think that she knew me.  
So we decided to chill_."

Puck was smooth, sexy. He had a good voice- smouldering. I felt Tina shudder beside me, and I shot her a quizzical look. I could see Mr. Schue bopping gently to the music, but I didn't have the urge to laugh- he could dance. The boys all sang into a Sting chorus, still with the Usher beat,

"_Woah-oh! _

_I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien,  
I'm an Englishman in New York.  
I'm an alien, I'm a legal alien  
I'm an Englishman in New York_."

They all rearranged, so Artie and Finn were at the front. Finn took the lead, trying to dance but failing,

"_If, 'Manners maketh man' as someone said  
Then he's the hero of the day,  
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile  
Be yourself, no matter what they say._"

They plunged into the Usher chorus, and rearranged again, standing in a diagonal line. Mike was at the front and Artie at the back. They all did (save for Artie, who wheeled) a sort-of forward Moonwalk, keeping in line and dropping to the floor in half-splits in sequence. Finn seemed to fall rather than drop gracefully. When it got to Artie, he wheeled himself down the line to the front, and the other boys, one at a time, followed- all still singing.

Finn, Kurt and Matt all sang the Sting chorus again with Artie, Mike and Puck layering it with "_Yeah, yeah yeah! Yeah, yeah! Yeeeaah_!"

They finished all looking towards the floor. The girls cheered, I whoop-whoop-whooped. Artie beamed at us, adjusting his glasses. I leaned back in my chair as Mr. Schue clapped each of the boys in the back. Rachel looked annoyed; she knew they had been better than us, as I did. Kurt returned to his seat, taking off his leather jacket immediately.

"Black is not my colour, it washes me out. I gotta get to my locker."

"Great work, guys!" Mr. Schue stood, again, in front of us, once everyone was back in their seats, "I-"

The bell for afternoon classes rang, cutting him off. He swung his brown bag over his shoulder, calling "Guys, prepare a group mashup for Thursday's meeting after school!"

He left the auditorium, as we all began to leave. Puck was standing over Tina, seeming to be apologetic for something, she was pouting. Kurt flounced out, linked arms with Mercedes (probably both gone to change into better clothes), and Finn, Artie and Matt exited, gabbling about something. I remained on my seat for a moment, thrilled that I had performed in my first glee club number.

"Hey, Daisy?"

I looked up. Mike had approached me, grey bag slung over his shoulder.

"Yeah."

"I'm Mike Chang." he offered his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet, rather than shake it. Again, like when I first met Finn I already knew who he was. He was tall and handsome, and he was very smooth.

"I noticed that you could use some dancing lessons," he added.

I cringed, "Yeah, I think everyone did," I replied, "I've never exactly been graceful."

"I give Finn two lessons a week, free of charge," Mike added, running his fingers through his spiky black hair, "I could add you to the 'class,' if you want."

"Really?" My sister had given up on teaching me years ago.

"Sure. No offense, but with both Finn and you, the dancing quality in the club has dropped a knotch."

"None taken. I guess it's true, anyway. Quinn was a cheerleader. She could dance."

He nodded, "So I'll see you tomorrow, lunch? Here?"

I nodded, "Yeah, definetely. Thanks."

"No problem." he grinned back, and stepped smoothly out of the room.

Rachel was waiting for me outside, "What did Mike want?" she asked, watching him disappear into the boys locker room just down the hall. Tina and Kurt were talking down the hall, Puck was standing outside the girls bathroom, but everyone else was gone.

"Nothing," I knew that if I told her, then she would eventually discover that Finn was having dancing lessons, and if I knew Rachel at all, then she would want to be involved.

"What have you got next?" I asked,

"Lab," she sighed.

"Well, I'll see you later," I said, "Good work today!" I began to walk down the hall to my Gym class,

"See you tomorrow!" she called back, humming a tune as the walked dejectedly towards Fellows' classroom.

* * *

"Dad, you home?"

"In here, sweetie."

I walked into my living room, and was hit by the smell of freesia's and lavender. My father was on his computer, probably placing the weekly order for new flowers. A large bouquet of- I guessed it- lavender sprigs and freesias sat in a vase on the dining table. Having the town's only florist as a Dad made it so the house always smelled fresh.

"Had a good day?" he asked from the other end of the room. He was almost middle-aged, balding, bearded. He reminded me of a 'Tom Hanks Santa Clause'.

"Great. In fact, I'm going to tell Sander all about it now."

He looked solemnly over. "Alright, honey," he said softly, "Dinner's at six."

"I'll be home."

I quickly darted into my room for a different jacket, and wheeled my bike to the front door. I closed the door behind me, and mounted the bike.

The spring seemed to be finally arriving, with one last burst of afternoon sunshine. I whirled down the street, the sunlight shafting through the trees.

Eventually I got to my destination. I unmounted my bike, checked that there was noone around, and quickly padlocked it to a nearby lamppost. I walked through the gates, along the grass, until I found him. I sat silently, thinking. As they always did, the words flowed naturally, needing nor receiving any interruptions.

"Hi Lysander. It's been a great day. Well, I told you that the glee club was doing mashups- we performed them today. The boys owned us by a long shot. I pulled the girls down with my dancing. Two left feet, you always said. Then Mom would scold me, saying I was lucky I could use my feet.

Anyway- I'm happier at glee now. I guess before, I only had you to talk to. Now I have Artie and Rachel and the others...and they talk back.

I'm sorry I didn't bring you anything by the way. You would think I'd remember with a florist father. I gotta be back soon. But I'll stay a little longer for you."

Then I looked up for the first time. And, for the millionth time, I read the engraving,

__

Lysander Azalea Butter

1986-2005

A beloved son, brother and fiance

"I am ready to meet my Maker.  
Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."

-Winston Churchill.

I felt the familiar lump rise in my throat, and I hurriedly coughed and wiped my eyes. I checked my watch, and then continued to tell Sander about my day.


	7. Chapter 6 Tina

**Hi! Thanks for waiting, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! The next one is in Artie's POV! Please review!**

**Daisy Butter: Wheels, Chains and Pure Glee**

Chapter 6

Tina

Thank God for Kurt and his transvestism. And thank God we're the same size.

"You should really be more careful not to get on Karofsky's bad side," he said as he handed me a pair of bootcut jeans and a black jacket. He had another bundle of more colorful clothes under his arm for himself.

"I don't know what I did!" I cried, Kurt closing his locker, "He just turned, saw me, and threw the slushie at my face."

"Stay out of his way, hun. He has grudges on all of us, y'know. There are consequences for being freaks."

I smiled, "I'll wash the clothes and bring them in tomorrow. Thanks, Kurt."

"Sure, see you tomorrow." He sashayed down the hall, cell phone already in hand.

I sighed and turned toward the closest girls' bathroom. He was there, obviously. Leaning against the wall, staring into space.

"I can't talk to you right now, I have to get changed." I stormed past him, into the bathroom and into a cubicle. There were still some girls quickly applying lip gloss before class. In the cubicle I quickly took off my pink dress, pulled on Kurt's jeans and put his jacket on over my dirty dried-slushie t-shirt. I shoved the dress in my bag and smoothed my hands through my hair. I had had to take out the pink extensions because they were too sticky. I applied a lot of eyeliner and walked out of the bathroom.

He was still there. I stalked off down the hall, which was pretty much silent now, and I could hear him following.

"Aren't you worried about being late for class?"

"Nope," obviously not, "Coach Tanaka's like totally screwed up. He wouldn't notice if I was there or not."

A short pause, still walking, "I have nothing to say to you."

"You don't have to _say_ anything to me."

"Ugh."

"You haven't told me why you're mad."

"I'll talk to you after school."

"I'll be at my locker."

"Great." I'll avoid it as best I can.

I got to my room and practically ripped the door open. The entire class looked up at me. Some were still stood, class had not started yet. I closed the door behind me and sat down. Mr. Davies was standing at his desk, and asked us to settle down. I got out my pens and books, and quickly got swept up in the lecture. I was so angry at Puck, and I wanted to distract myself. I had to do this often, because when I got angry, I usually either completely exploded, or dissolved into tears. Somehow I don't think either of those solutions mixed with Puck would end well.

Physics was over faster than I had wanted, and before I knew it I was in my Dancing elective, limbering up and copying my teacher's movements. I think Puck knows when exactly to annoy me, so as to let me mellow down over two hours of my favourite classes. He may appear a doofus, but he can be smart.

At half three, the bell rang and I left the dance studio, a thin coating of sweat on my skin and face, really beginning to stink. Students were piling onto the front steps, the awful Monday over.

With a sigh, I remembered the performances at lunch. We were good, but boys were better, just like the first time we did a mashup-gender battle. And he had looked soooo hot. I think I scared Daisy with the complete enthusiasm I had when he was singing. At that moment, I felt so proud, so big, to be dating him. But then the reasons that I was mad at him flooded my mind, and I was angry again.

Puck was outside, leaning on the wall- not where he said he would be. I froze- his expression was like thunder, glaring at anyone that would pass particularly closely. Suddenly the prospect of being anywhere near him was terrifying, and I gabbled in my brain for ways to go.

But, of course, he had seen me already and come over before I could unfreeze and escape.

"Come on," he mumbled, looking distracted, his eyes darting around the lot. He pressed his hand into the small of my back and guided me out of the lot.

Neither of us had cars, so I would carpool with Mercedes or- more recently- take the bus with Puck before and after school.

"No bus today?" I asked quietly, trying to lighten the tone; he still looked all sullen and brooding.

"We're going to my place. My Mom's at work, waiting tables or some stupid thing. Sister's at a pals. It won't take long if we walk, this town's so damn small."

We walked down the street, and as soon as we were away from school, I took his hand, trying to create some normalcy. He flinched, I could feel it, and a wave of rejection and resentment flooded through me. I let go of his hand.

Puck made a growling sound,

"Look, what is your _deal_? I don't get why you're mad, it's not like I've had sex with anyone else, even though I totally could have. Santana's all over me. Look, you're hot, in that Hong Kong vampire way, but girl, I have _needs_-"

"So do I Puck, needs like having my boyfriend not flinch- like you just did- whenever I try to hold his hand or kiss him in public, so none of your football homies will see. I'm not Santana, or Quinn, I'm not in it for the sex. You shouldn't be ashamed to be dating me, Puck!"

I stopped walking and stomped my foot on the ground. Puck frowned down at me, and I felt tears pricking at my eyes. I wanted to run home and cry, but when I was angry he was too freaked to deal, so he shut up.

"Look, here's the deal," I said quickly, "I'm _not_ having sex with you. I'm a v-virgin and I want to keep it that way. So until you stop acting like a selfish, scared little boy, it's staying that way, OK?"

And because I could feel the tears pouring over, I marched away as fast as I could home. Puck didn't make any attempt to stop me.

* * *

OK. So that was a waste of time.

I'm in my room at home. Mom's at work, Dad's at the store. So I'm alone here. It usually wouldn't bother me, I could just send Mercedes an IM; but I just keep running the fight with Puck through my mind, and I just know it will be all I can talk about. Mercedes and Kurt don't like to talk about him a lot, they think I was making a huge mistake by going out with Puck. I guess they won't have to worry about that any more.

After taking a desperate, and long, shower I hovered my laptop mouse over my Facebook profile. My relationship status was on 'It's Complicated,' and had been that way since my one date with Artie. I didn't really need to change it after Puck and I...I guess we didn't really get together like a normal couple. It was more like friends, then friends-with-benefits, and ocaissionally watching movies at his place. It was a transition- it just kinda happened.

So I don't get why I'm so upset. I keep getting rejected one way or another.

An IM from Mercedes popped up on my screen.

'_Hey girl! Where were you after school? x_'

I typed back,

'_Had a fight with P. Think we're broken up._'

'_I told you so! The guy's trouble, you wouldn't see me dating him! How much chocolate am I bringing in to school tomorrow?_'

'_Enough for a second trip. Can I carpool_?"

'_Sure. I'll see you then! x_'

And Mercedes signed off. Nobody else was online, so I settled to do some homework.

It came to six pm, and still neither of my parents had come home. At five thirty my Dad texted me to say something had some up at the office and he had to abandon the groceries. Mom was never back till after seven. I guess I was cooking for myself tonight.

After putting Kurt's- and my- dirty clothes in the washer, I put on PJ's and put a ready-made dinner in the oven. The second I closed the oven door the doorbell rang. I paused- I hoped that it was some kid selling cookies and _not_ anyone who I knew.

I went to the door and opened it a crack, peeking through. Standing there was a guy, tall and dark, with a shaven mohawk. He was oozing attractiveness. He had dark, deep set eyes that looked cautious, and his eyebrows were raised. His shoulders were slumped, defeated. And in his hands were a wraped up bunch of flowers. Crappy, drooping, Lima gas station flowers. But it was something- something a boyfriend would do for his girlfriend if he had messed up.

I felt my heart melt at the look in his eyes, and I stepped aside. I opened the door, and let Puck in.

* * *

"Good morning, guys!"  
"Hey, Tina." the usual chorus from my club friends.

Mercedes, Kurt, Artie and Daisy were all sitting in the choir room, drinking juice and eating morning bagels. They all were whispering, and as I sat down Mercedes discreetly handed me a bar of dark chocolate. I was already gone by the time she got there to pick me up that morning, and I felt bad about it, so I patted her hand and grinned. Kurt was reading my face, his own eyes tight and his mouth puckered.

"I _knew_ he was going to-"

"Don't worry Kurt, it's all good." I tried to show in my eyes what I meant- I couldn't let Artie hear my news, I wouldn't know how he would react. Mercedes leaned in close and whispered,

"Hey, what happened this morning? You were gone."

"Listen, something else happened with Puck-"

"You guys got back together?" she cried out loudly, adjusting her blue hat.

"Shhhh!"

"You guys had a fight?" Artie asked.

I slowly turned to look at him, "You _know_?"

Kurt coughed, "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I didn't tell you."

"_Kurt!_"

I looked at Artie again, and there was a little accusation in his eyes, but I knew it was because I hadn't told him and Kurt had. I shrugged apologetically.

"What about Puck?" asked Daisy. She was wearing a yellow checked button-up shirt and white skinnies. Her blonde hair was in a thick braid. She looked completely opposite to me with my black t-shirt, spiky silver bling and grey skinnies.

Kurt answered her, "Tina's been dating Puck for weeks."

Daisy's eyebrows raised, "Woah. How did _that_ happen?"

I smiled at her, "Long story."

"Is there making out?"

"Lots."

"Tell me all, I gotta know!" Daisy requested, leaning forward in her seat.

Artie made a face, "Ew. Do I have to be here?"

"No," Mercedes blurted, still desperate for information. Artie nodded, said goodbye and left the room. I felt myself relax as I heard his wheels echo away down the hall.

"OK, so what happened is-"

"Oh, hold on," Daisy said, staring guiltily at the door, "I feel bad now. Artie and I were in the middle of a conversation."

"Oh, he won't mind," Kurt shook his hand, "Just get him some chocolate later or something. He didn't want to listen, so he left." he then shifted in his seat, and some regret passed across his face.

"He loves blackberry jelly doughnuts though," I hinted to Daisy. I understood Daisy's dilemma. When Artie and I had that argument and 'broke up,' I felt so terrible for a long time, even though I hadn't really done anything bad to him. Artie was so wholeheartedly good, the slightest chance that you might have offended him has you wondering for days.

"OK, so I was in Roald's Coffee House over on Third, and Puck was in front of me in the line. He didn't see me, and we had never spoken before, so I didn't say 'hey' or anything. So, he went and sat down, and I got my favourite combo, black coffee and an oatmeal muffin. Before I even realised, I sat down at my normal seat. It took, like, a whole minute before I noticed that he was sitting there, too. So then, I stutter through an apology and he just looks at the table, and our identical orders, and goes 'huh.' And he sat back, drank his coffee and pretended I wasn't there. It was so weird. I didn't know whether to say anything or..."

"What did you do?" Daisy asked anxiously,

"Nothing. I gulped it down, put the muffin in my bag and left. But after that, it was sort of like we became friends."

"Friends...meaning meeting up to make out?"

"Yeah. He drove past me once in his Mom's car, asked if I needed a ride, and I helped him take the groceries in. He was acting kind of strange, but I know now it was cause I caught him doing a chore for his Mom. Then one thing led to another..."

"So romantic," Kurt said sarcastically.

I ignored him, "That was right before Sectionals. I stuck with him through all the Quinn-slash-Finn drama, so now we're kinda close. He'll never admit it."

Daisy looked surprised, "You and Puck," she laughed, "I never would have pegged you as the one to tame him."

I shrugged, I had far from tamed him.

I then explained what had happened the day-and evening- before, and they all melted. Even Kurt looked a little dreamy.

"But look, guys," I said in a rush, "Finn _can't _find out. He'll totally beat Puck up again, and completely hate me. He'll think we're both totally insensitive, or something. Can you all please...?"

"Sure."

"Sure."

"Of course."

There was a tap-tap on the door, and we all turned. It was Puck, hunched over slightly in his all dark clothes. He looked at me through his long eyelashes, and it was like I had been encased in a warm hug. I could feel my skin redden.

"Bye guys," I barely heard the words come out of my mouth, and before I knew it I was in the hall with Puck and he was closing the door behind me.

"Hi," I said breathlessly

He smiled smugly down at me, "How's it goin'?"

I nodded stupidly. Being this close completely messed with my brain- his pure sex appeal rolled off of him in waves.

After a cursory look both ways down the hall- there was noone but Daisy slipping out to undoubtedly get Artie that doughnut- Puck leaned in slowly. The breath caught in my throat as his lips touched mine briefly, drew away, and were then more demanding. He pushed me back, and I almost hit the lockers before he pulled back.

"The bell just rang for class," I didn't hear it, "And I don't want to be late." There's a first time for everything.

He grinned again, so proud of himself, hitched his back on his shoulder and vanished down the hall.

My breath was still coming out in gasps. Every time he kissed me was a shock. After one of our make-out sessions I was practically in a coma. After that one kiss with Artie it was like after one attempt at walking I was flying.

I smiled for hours after that.

* * *

That was until my only lesson with Artie, that is.

It was the last lesson before lunch. It was American History, period three, and the only class that I share with Artie. I was still worried that he had a problem with me and Puck.

Still buzzing from my earlier encounter with him, I felt my bubble deflate slightly as I floated into the classroom.

"Hey," he said cheerfully as I sat down,

"Hi," I sighed.

"The weirdest thing happened this morning," Artie said, as the last pupils streamed in, "Both Kurt and Daisy bought me doughnuts. Like seperately. Kinda nice, huh?"

I hid my smile underneath my hair, "No kidding."

The teacher then shouted for us to quieten down, and as he began to explain what we had to do for the period I peeked at Artie out of the corner of my eye. He was paying atention to Rigsby, his blue eyes were innocent and naive. You could tell he didn't have a care in the world.

I guess I could see how I was sort of attracted to him two months ago. He's got high cheekbones, full lips and strong arms from wheeling himself around. But when I looked at him I only felt admiration and totally platonic affection. The kind of way you'd feel for a kooky twin brother. It's how I felt then, and how I feel now.

"Daisy's kinda nice, don't you think?" he whispered to me, not looking away from the teacher,  
"Yeah," I replied, "she's sweet."

"Pretty funny, too. I have Lab with her."

What he was saying dawned on me, and I slowly smiled,  
"Really?"

He looked back, "Uh, yeah. She's my partner."

Rigsby must have stopped talking, because everyone else had begun to chat to each other,

"No. I mean, really, Daisy?"

He frowned, "_No_."

"Aw, I think it's cute. I think you suit each other, actually."

"Well, now at least the _both_ of us have moved on."

Ouch. I walked into that one, "Artie..."

"Don't sweat it Tina," he said, writing in his book,

"No, really. I guess I should have told you."

I quickly glanced at his book to get the idea of what I was supposed to be doing, and looked busy as Rigsby was looking over.

"It's not like that," Artie muttered, "It's just, he's..._Puck_. And you're my best friend, y'know?"

Warmth flooded through me, "Artie, It's OK. I know him. It's cool. I'm not expecting it to lead to anything."

"Neither did Quinn. Look where she is."

I bit my lip. Quinn was a touchy subject, and Puck and I had only ever talked about her once, and that was when Finn found out about the baby. We still hadn't talked about her leaving with his baby. I sighed before I answered.

"Artie, I'm going to ask you to trust me. I'm not gonna do anything I'm...not ready for. OK?"

He gave me a small, awkward smile, "Right. Just be careful."

He then concentrated on working. I guess that was all of his best friend energy used up for the day.

* * *

I slapped my tray down on the lunch table, raising my hand in greeting.

"Hey, girl!" Mercedes grinned, before going back to her conversation with Kurt.

Brittany was on his other side, picking delicately at her salad, then Artie, stuffing his face with yet another doughnut, then Rachel, who looked worried, and then me. Our table was a lot emptier that normal. The adjoining table was usually occupied by Finn, Puck, Santana, Mike, Matt and Quinn, with Brittany coming between us. However today Mike, Funn and obviously Quinn were missing, and I noticed Daisy wasn't sitting in her seat between Rachel and Artie.

Since my relationship with Puck was secret, to protect him from Finn (and me from Santana, he always says when I get irritated with the situation), I couldn't sit next to him, but he caught my eye and smiled, and I blushed.

Now that I had figured out how Artie felt about Daisy, I really wanted to check her out, give her a second look, to see if she was really as cool as I had thought. After Artie's protectiveness in History, it was the least I could do. But she was missing,

"Anyone know where Daisy is?" I asked to the general table. Artie shrugged, Brittany shook her head, and Rachel ignored me, clearly deep in thought. Santana looked over from Matt- they usually talked to us if their table was empty- and stared boredly at me,

"I saw her going toward the choir room. I think she's rehearsing for something."

Rachel asked Santana, "Did you see Finn?"

But she was already laughing at something Matt was saying.

Rachel went back to her thoughts, then forced herself into Mercedes' and Kurt's discussion about what the group mashup could be. To be honest I actually hadn't thought about it, Finn and Rachel usually had the group numbers down. I ate quickly- not being able to talk to anyone since they were wrapped up in their conversation- and put my tray on the racks at the doors of the caff.

Minutes later, I was at the door of the choir room- muffled music was pounding through the door; it sounded like Lady Gaga. Was Daisy practising a number? But then I heard a male voice speak, and then laugh. Not being able to prevent it, I felt a wave of dread. Was she already taken? I pushed the door open. Inside were Daisy, Mike and Finn. Mike was standing by a stereo with his arms crossed, and Finn and Daisy were both collapsed on the floor, heaving with laughter. They both got up when they saw me, trying to keep back some laughs.

"Asian!" Mike greeted, winking,

"Other Asian!" I smiled, going further into the room, "How are you?"

"Good," he came over for a hug. Out of all of Puck's friends, Mike was the only one I'd ever really connected with. Coach Sylvester put us together when she split the group up, and we were put together for ballads. We were tight.

"Man, you've _gotta_ be worse than me!" Daisy shoved Finn in the stomach; she couldn't reach any higher.

"Shut up, shortie! It's not easy being huge," he looked over at Mike, "Dude, I gotta go. I've got homework for Mr. Schue's class next period."

Mike nodded, his face splitting into a grin, as Finn hastily left.

"So, what are you guys doing?" I asked,

Daisy gestured to Mike, her face red and her voice gasping, "Mike's giving me some dance training. Because, I'll let you in on a little secret, I suck."

I felt a wave of relief, and laughed, "Need some help? I can tap." I looked at Mike, who shrugged.

"I'm only teaching Daisy and Finn basic moves that they can remember. And-" he laughed, "can you honestly imagine Finn tap dancing?"

We all laughed.

I exchanged a look with Daisy as Mike turned back to the stereo- she wasn't looking at him with any lust or admiration, and I mean I wouldn't blame her, Mike is hot- and she pulled her hair back into a band.

Mike switched on the stereo, and Lady Gaga's _'Telephone' _blasted out.

"I'm planning on performing this tomorrow," Daisy muttered to me, "with Mike and Santana. I need to get over this stigma of being a terrible dancer."

"Does she know?"

"Mike told her earlier."

She formed a position and mouthed the lyrics as she danced. She was a little jerky, but it was an improvement on before.

After the routine, she stood, gasping for breath,

"What do you think?" she panted,

"That was pretty good!"

"Do- do you wanna help when I do- do it?"

"Um, I'm not really a street dancer. I tap."

"Oh. That's cool."

"You could ask Artie to help. He always livens up a dance routine. Distract them from your mistakes."

She smiled, "That's cool. Mike will make me look good."

The bell rang for class,

"I guess I'll see you later!" Daisy gasped, grabbing her bag and rushing to the door.

Mike nodded at me and left.

"Uh, bye?"

Daisy turned, "Sorry. It's just, I need to get noted I need for class."

"What for?"

She turned back again, grinning, her face still bright red, "Lab!" she cried, before skittering away.

As I realised what she said, I slowly smiled, and followed.


End file.
